Patent GB-587183-A (GB)
Title: Friction shock absorbers
IPC: B60G13/04
Filed: 1944-09-06
Abstract: 587,183. Shock-absorbers. STEVENS, A. H. (Thompson Products,' Inc.). Sept. 6, 1944, No. 17043. [Class 108 (iii)] A shock-absorber comprises an expansible sleeve axially slidable in a casing or cylinder 20 and adapted to be expanded into frictional engagement with the wall of the cylinder by one or two lobular expanders mounted on a reciprocable actuating rod 23 extending into the cylinder. As shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, the expansible sleeve is formed by non-metallic friction shoes 32 separated by vertical passages 33 and normally contracted away from the cylinder wall by a split spring ring 35, cavities 36 at the lower ends of the shoes being engaged by correspondingly-shaped lobes 37 on a metal expander 38 having a central opening larger than an extension 31 of the rod 23, the extension having a flat head 39 enclosed by a loose rigid cap 40 between which and the expander is a washer 41. A heavy inertia member 42 having a bevelled shoulder 43 engaging correspondingly bevelled surfaces on the shoes 32, surrounds the upper part of the extension 31 and is bored to contain a spring 44 which presses a washer 45 against a nut 47. On tightening the nut, the member 42 and expander 38 are drawn towards each other, forcing the shoes radially outwards. In operation, on rapid compression of the shockabsorber, the expander 38 relieves the compression on the shoes 32 so that the retarding device moves without material friction until the cap 40 strikes a spring 49 in the lower end of the cylinder, which gradually assumes some of the load and also pushes the expander 38 upwardly, increasing the friction and retarding the compression stroke. On rebound, the head 3a of the rod 23 exerts an upward pull on the expander, spreading the shoes 32 to absorb rebound sharply. A loose dry lubricating. powder 54 confined in the cylinder may flow freely through the passages 33 between the shoes and is agitated by the spring 49 which assists in keeping it aerated and loose. The inertia member 42 maintains the 'shoes parallel to the cylinder and acts to assist rapid expansion of the shoes at the beginning of the rebound stroke owing to its tendency to continue to move downwardly when the direction of travel of the piston changes. In a modification in which the principal function of the shock-absorber is to absorb compression forces, the positions of the expander and inertia member are interchanged. In another construction, Fig. 9, an aircraft strut comprises telescoping cylinders 55, 56, a spring 60 in the lower cylinder 55 bearing on a cage 62 which has ports 69, 70 to permit circulation of lubricating powder and a flange 63 engaging beneath the lower end of cylinder 56. Two expanders 74, 77 surrounded by friction shoes 76 are mounted on the reduced upper end of a rod 59 fixed in the cylinder 55 and are bored to house respectively a spring 75 and an adjusting nut 78, the nut being surrounded by a washer 79 while a further lock washer 80, having a lip extending into a groove 81 in the rod 59, overlies the nut 78 and washer 79. A nut 82 holds the parts in adjusted position. A spring 61 extends between the washer 80 and upper end of the cylinder 56 and is partly surrounded by a further spring 83 extending from the upper end of the cylinder. Part of the load is transmitted through spring 61 to the retarding device and rod 59 and thus to the landing gear of the aircraft while the remaining part of the load is transmitted through cylinder 56 to the cage 62 and thence through spring 60 to the bottom of the shock-absorber. On intense compression, the spring 83 engages the washer 79 and acts on the expander 77 to force the friction shoes into closer engagement with the cylinder 56. In a modified construction embodying telescoping cylinders, the rod is attached to the upper cylinder, and in a further modification, the action of the lower expander is limited on the rebound stroke. In all the constructions, the cylinder wall against which the shoes bear is covered with a hard metallic coating, e.g., the wall may be chromium electroplated.